Iran-US tensions

Abdulla Balalaa, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainability, United Arab Emirates

Interview

UAE official says opening Hormuz integral to any Iran deal, describes infrastructure damage 'manageable'

Abdulla Balalaa, UAE assistant minister of foreign affairs for energy and sustainability, spoke to Al-Monitor about the situation in the Gulf along with the UAE's focus on promoting privatization in the water sector and the 2026 UN Water Conference.

Iranians drive next to a billboard displaying pictures of nuclear scientists, centrifuges and a sentence reading in Farsi "Science is the power," at Enqelab Square in Tehran, on Aug. 29, 2025.

Analysis

What is Iran really willing to concede on its nuclear program?

Iran’s current posture accepts short-term, reversible constraints while rejecting long-term limits on enrichment.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

STRAIT OF HORMUZ - NOVEMBER 19: In this handout photo provided by the US Navy, The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) transits the Strait of Hormuz as an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter from the Nightdippers of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 5 lifts off from the flight deck November 19, 2019. The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations in support of naval operations to ensure maritime stability and security in the Central Region, connecting the M

'The reach is global': Pentagon vows pursuit of ships tied to Iran trade

A top admiral said the US Navy will pursue any vessels "providing material support to Iran" anywhere in the world.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Turkish Presient Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Antalya Diplomatic Forum in Turkey April 17, 2026.

Sharaa distances Syria from Iran war, says Israel talks ongoing: What to know

Negotiations with Israel "have not reached a dead end, but they are progressing with great difficulty” Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum.

Latest News

Analysis

How long can Iran's economy weather US naval blockade?

Getty Images

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Aoun says Lebanon seeks 'permanent agreements' with Israel after White House invite

Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun delivers a speech during a meeting of Pope Leo XIV with authorities, civil society and diplomatic corps at the presidential palace in Baabda, east of the capital Beirut, on November 30, 2025. (Photo by Andreas SOLARO / AFP via Getty Images)

Iran says Strait of Hormuz 'completely open' to ships

MUSCAT, OMAN - MARCH 25: Locals take photos of two bulk carriers anchored at Muscat Anchorage on March 25, 2026 in Muscat, Oman. Maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which conveys about 20% of the world's oil and gas, has mostly come to a halt after the joint U.S.-Israeli war with Iran that began on February 28. Iran, in a defiant reply to a ceasefire proposal from the United States, has claimed that sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz "is its natural and legal right." Under international law, t

Eurozone's inflation jumps 2.6%, jet fuel shortages loom amid Iran war

A fuel truck CarbOil services an Easyjet aircraft at Milan's Malpensa Airport on April 13, 2026.

Rescue teams attend to the scene of devastation after an Iranian military plane crashed into a residential building in a heavily built-up suburb on December 6, 2005 in Tehran, Iran. A huge explosion was reported as the plane, carrying 94 people, crashed into a 10-storey block killing all on board. Many deaths are also feared on the ground after the C-130 plane encountered a technical problem shortly after take-off from Mehrabad airport. (Photo by Hossein/Getty Images)

Mysterious fire at Iran's Defense Ministry site north of Tehran

The second such fire in less than a week comes amid high tensions between the United States and Iran, though details surrounding the incident remain unclear.

US Army helicopter crew from the 101st Airborne Division prepares the Apache attack helicopter at the the Camp Udairi airfield in preparation for a mission to Iraq 20 March 2003.

US accuses Iran’s IRGC of harassing helicopter over the Gulf

The first reported tense interaction between the US Navy and Iran's naval forces comes just days after Bahraini soldiers were killed in a drone attack attributed to Yemen's Houthi rebels, who receive arms from Iran.

Biden

Iran indicts Biden, Trump over support for exiled group

The current US president and three of his predecessors have been indicted in Iran for their alleged backing of a California-based Iranian pro-monarchy group that Tehran has designated as a terrorist organization.

Evin Prison

Iranian-American dies in Tehran’s Evin Prison due to 'lack of medical care'

Faramarz Javidzad, 60, was taken to hospital after he suffered stomach bleeding, but he was later returned to the prison in the Iranian capital where he later died, according to reports.

Iran drone parade

Iran parades lines of drones, calls for US Gulf pullout

Iran showed off at least 16 drone types, one of which it said was the world's longest range, as President Ebrahim Raisi urged regional cooperation against the American military presence in the Persian Gulf.

Ansari Hagedorn

Inside Qatar’s key role in US-Iran prisoner swap

Majed Al-Ansari, an adviser to the Qatari prime minister, details the behind-the-scenes diplomacy that led to the prisoner deal, and why Doha believes there now exists a “platform for dialogue” between Iran and the United States.

Anwar Gargash

Al-Monitor/Semafor summit: UAE seeks ‘ironclad’ defense agreement from the US, Anwar Gargash says

UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash said growing ties with countries like China will not replace its reliance on the United States for security.

King of Jordan

Highlights: Al-Monitor/Semafor Middle East Global Summit

The Al-Monitor & Semafor inaugural Middle East Global Summit on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meetings on Wednesday brought together the region’s leaders, newsmakers and business heads.

Siamak Namazi

'The nightmare is over' as Americans freed from Iran reunite with families

Seven Americans released from Iran as part of a prisoner swap held tearful reunions with family members early Tuesday.

Red Sands

Pentagon expands counter-drone exercise with Saudi Arabia, eyeing Iran threat

US and Saudi forces teamed up to shoot down simulated complex drone attacks in the Saudi desert last week as Pentagon officials warn Iran is likely learning from Russia's use of one-way attack drones in Ukraine.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends breakfast with the foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on September 18, 2023 in New York.

Blinken defends Iran prisoner swap at meeting with Gulf counterparts

The US secretary of state also touted the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, seen as competition to China’s Belt and Road Initiative, ahead of the discussion with Gulf Cooperation Council member states.

Released American citizens landed in Qatar today.

Breaking | Last Updated: July 10, 2024, 12:33 pm

Iran frees 5 Americans in prisoner swap with US

A US-bound flight carrying a group of American detainees including Siamak Namazi, Morad Tahbaz and Emad Shargi left Iran on Monday.